Memory Alpha:AOL chats/Ronald D. Moore/ron065.txt
Subj: Answers Date: 10/21/97 10:38:18 PM From: RonDMoore <> I am so out of touch with that part of Paramount that I don't even know where their offices are. <> There hasn't been a comfortable place to mention O'Brien's "Hard Time" experience without having to throw in a lot of awkward exposition. It may come up again at some point. <> Brannon and I have begun work (finally) on the screenplay. It's a fun change of pace for us. My weekends are now full. <> It all belongs to Viacom, but the actors, director and writer would all have to be compensated if they chose to reuse the footage in some way. <> Although Keevan may at some point be slated for cloning by the Dominion, the individual seen in "Rocks and Shoals" would be dead and that certainly did not appeal to Keevan. <> As of this moment, the answer is still yes. But that could change at any time, so I suggest you submit your script quickly. -------- Subj: Answers Date: 10/21/97 10:46:55 PM From: RonDMoore <> This scene was shot and it was cut for time. You may argue that we should've cut more from the Worf/Alexander story, but if you look at the show objectively you'll see that there's not a lot of extra material in that story to chop. (Yes, we did need the final blood-letting scene, because the show couldn't have ended with the scene of Worf and Alexander in the Corridor -- the scene wasn't shot that way and it wouldn't have worked. Trust me.) On the other hand, the Dukat/Kira tale would work just fine without the rest of the Dukat/Kira scene that was excised. <> Alexander is definitely in the wedding show. Beyond that, we're not sure, but he could recur again this year. <> I haven't read the ST books in so long that I don't think I could contribute anything useful to John's Board. Brannon does his own thing on the net from time to time. I'm not sure what SNW stands for. <> Well, it all goes into my brain so there's probably some influence on my subconscious along with everything else. The only direct impact I'm aware of is my determination to do something with the portrayal of Klingon women -- which had a big impact on the way I wrote "You are Cordially Invited..." -------- Subj: Answers Date: 10/21/97 11:40:26 PM From: RonDMoore <> You have a choice here. You can either keep this kind of thing off my board or be prepared to deal with my response to it. And my response is to tell you that you've got have a big pair of brass ones to puff yourself up as someone to tell Brannon what to do. Brannon co-wrote "All Good Things..." has a Hugo to prove it and an Emmy nomination hanging on his wall. Brannon wrote "Frame of Mind", "Cause and Effect", "Parallels", "Ship in a Bottle" and a lot of other exceptional TNG episodes. Brannon has been working his tail off day in and day out for the last three seasons trying to give YOU yet one more Trek series. Brannon has earned his spurs on this franchise and if you don't like his attitude toward TOS or Trek continuity that's just too @#$%ing bad. I'm a fan of the orginal series and he's not. Big deal. I've worked with him for seven years and I never once told him that he absolutely had to go and watch Kirk & Co. in order to write TNG or VOY. Why? Because it was the truth and he's proven that. Yeah, he has a chip on his shoulder toward fandom. Why shouldn't he? He has to put up with a lot of name-calling and bitching from people who seem to only care about how many angels can dance on the head of a transtator and whether or not Chakotay falling in the forest would make a sound. He has not exactly been welcomed into the loving embrace of IDIC (and don't give me any of that "Well, he started it!" stuff either). People don't like the fact that Brannon doesn't bow and scrape before the original series like they want him to, but I respect him for it. He's listening to his own muse and charting his own direction for Voyager and we'll see where it leads. You don't like it? Don't watch it. I'll tell you this -- Voyager is the highest rated show on either UPN or WB and it looks to be around for a long time still, so I think he's doing just fine so far. <> The studio has said nothing about DS9 movies, but from a story-telling standpoint, it really depends on how we end the series. We could end the show on a note of finality, wrapping everything up with the characters, or leaving it like TNG with the stories presumably continuing beyond the final episode. So far, we haven't made a decision one way or the other. <> This is indeed the Dukat story I've mentioned before. There's a certain thematic link with "Duet" and that in part inspired the title. <> We have a big Sisko/Jake episode on the boards for later in the year, but it's still in the early conceptual stage. <> The Defiant was never going to be destroyed in FC. I showed Ira an early draft and he objected to the fact that we didn't make it clear enough that the ship was still salvagable, so we changed the dialog to reflect that note. Certainly anything that would affect DS9 would probably be run by Ira again on this next movie. <> We'll keep throwing in stuff on this from time to time. <> No plans for Lwaxanna this year so far. -------- Subj: Answers Date: 10/21/97 11:58:45 PM From: RonDMoore <> Not yet, but you never know... <> Still no plans to rescue Tom yet. <> I think it's because the Bajorans were once under his control and he has certain, ah.... control issues. Kira being the one Bajoran who he could never control only increases his desire for her. <> I don't and I'm a fan. There is no "fandom" that speaks with one voice and you've got to stop believing that there is. Fans and fan opinions come in many different forms and guises and there is just no way that Paramount or the writer/producers can concievably be responsive to the "fan owners." The only person who could've once claimed this kind of proprietary interest was Gene, and he's dead. Trek belongs to everyone, not just the hardcore fans and not just the writers. <> We treat her like a reasonably educated person in the 24th century, but I've never really sat down and tried to figure out exactly where and when Kira could've obtained this education. <> I think that while the strategic situation is running against the Federation, that the tactical balance of power probably varies wildly depending on the situation. We don't know any of the circumstances regarding the last three convoys that were destroyed so it's hard to compare them to the battle seen in "Sons and Daughters." I do think the Federation is fully mobilized, but I don't know about conscription. -------- Subj: Answers Date: 10/22/97 1:26:18 AM From: RonDMoore <> Now there's the true spirit of IDIC for you. << UPN or WB? That's like saying Voyager is the fourth most popular Trek show.>> No, it's like saying that Voyager is doing very well, thank you, is obviously being watched and appreciated on a regular basis, and will continue to be produced. In fact, that's exactly what I said. <> Actually, he hasn't watched much TOS and therefore neither likes nor dislikes it. And the second statement is an outright falsehood. -------- Subj: Answers Date: 10/22/97 6:12:59 PM From: RonDMoore <> I do have some ideas, but I'd rather not give them away just yet. << I know that the probability of the Borg being on DS9 is slight to none, but nonetheless, any idea on what happened to the renegade Borg that Lore lead? How's Hugh doing?>> Unfortunately, I haven't given any thought to either of these Borg groups, so I'm not sure what they're up to. <> I watched it for a while during its first year, but then I dropped out. <> There's no start date for filming yet and no release date. << Cinefantastique, November 1997, pg. 110: "... How much fun would it have been to go back to Earth and have to explain to 98 percent of the viewing audience what the hell the Eugenic Wars are? "Did we think about it? Yeah. We just made a conscious choice not to address this. It was going to bog down the episode. When you make a decision like this, it's not out of ignorance, or the fact that we don't care about continuity. It comes out of the fact that you need to make some tough choices..." >> Thanks for posting this quote. To me, this says that Brannon & Co. did not make their choice in "Future's End" out of malice or disregard for the fans. They considered all the options and made an informed choice for the best interests of their show. I think it's fair for people to question that choice or argue over the impact it had on Voyager and Trek continuity. What's not fair, in my book, is to say that the decision was made out of some kind of casual disregard for Trek and its continuity. They obviously discussed the issue at length and then made their choice. I think you should remember that Brannon's influence on the Trek you know and love has not been limited to the episodes on which his writing credit appears. He was a part of the writing staff(s) since the fourth season of TNG and had a hand in virtually every show that went before the cameras. As far as Brannon's comments in various publications go, I think he enjoys pushing people's buttons sometimes and let's face it, some fans can have pretty thin skins. Sometimes I wish he'd use a little more tact, but I think some of the fans could also cut him a little more slack, so there seems to be an even playing field in that particular relationship. <> I think your reasoning is pretty sound and I wouldn't be surprised if Starfleet had 30,000 ships or so, but again -- we're not going to nail down this figure on the series. <> We're pegging Alexander as being roughly the equivalent of a 13-16 year old human male, although his actual age is much younger. Hey, Klingons mature faster, okay? Alexander will be seen in the wedding show, and possibly more this season. -------- Subj: Answers Date: 10/22/97 6:43:11 PM From: RonDMoore "... one of the challenges in compiling this chronology was to deal with the inevitable gaps and inconsistencies that have cropped up over STAR TREK's three decade of existence... In our eyes, the fact that the show's writers and producers were quite capable of mistakes in no way diminishes their extraordinary achievements under the often-brutal pressures of weekly television production." -- Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda, Introduction, "Star Trek Chronology -- The History of the Future." <> In this particular situation, Rick, Brannon and I all sat down with Bill and talked with him in detail about the subject of Kirk's death. If he had not been committed to both the idea and the way in which we intended to portray the demise of the character, I can assure you that it would've never happened. That's not an effort to shift responsibility, by the way. I believed strongly in what we were doing and would've tried to talk Bill into it even if he had objected. <> I really can't speak to the next film and Patrick's involvement in the creative process. I can say that an actor can often bring an important perspective to the process and it's usually a question of the specific actor in question and how s/he handles her/himself in dealing with the writers as to whether or not it's a help or a hindrance. <> I thought that Grilka wielded considerable power as the Mistress of a Great House and that this more than made up for the problems in her marriage to Kozak. Since she clearly divorced Quark once her goal was accomplished, there's no reason to think she'd have been "stuck" with any other mate. I also don't think there's any implication of a woman being considered the "property" of a House. Grilka says, "If the leader of a House is slain in honorable combat, the victor may be *invited* to take his place... and his wife." (Emphasis added.) If Grilka had not wished to marry Quark, she would not have been forced to marry D'Ghor, she would've simply had to forfeit the lands and other property of the former House of Kozak. << how do you tread the line between letting casual comments and conversation subconsciously feed your imagination, and the concern that you might be "stealing" someone else's idea?>> First, I make it a policy not to accept any story ideas or pitches on these boards. Second, I rely on my own conscience to stay on this side of the line. <> I usually procrastinate until I have the scene or dialog worked out in my mind to my satisfaction. When that doesn't work, I'll just put down *something* and then hope to fix it in my next pass through the script. I do keep books and music here in the office for distraction, but there's nothing specific I look to for inspiration. -------- Subj: Answers Date: 10/22/97 6:54:22 PM From: RonDMoore <> I don't want to get into the details of this, but I have a very clear conscience about the way we handled this matter and I think David was treated more than fairly at every point in the process. <> We did consider several other episodes as possible candidates for the anniversary show and we never found another one that appealed to us. I doubt we'd want to do it again given the limitations of the other TOS episodes. <> As far as I know, there are no plans to release additional footage on any of the television episodes. I've never spoken with Paramount Home Video (and I'm sure they're grateful for that) so I don't know the hows and whys of what they choose to release. GrangerDon wrote: <> I just wanted to add that I forgot to mention that Don was in fact there during these meetings and that his memory is better than mine (as usual), since both the Shatner quote and the alternate ending suggestion did indeed happen. -------- Moore, Ronald D.